North Bergen BOE names Michael Guasconi new high school football coach

The North Bergen Board of Education officially named Kennedy School Principal and St. Peter’s Prep Freshman Football Coach Michael Guasconi as the new head football coach for North Bergen High School at last night’s meeting.

Michael Guasconi, second to right, with Superintendent of Schools George Solter (far left), his wife, son and Mayor Nick Sacco. Photo courtesy of Vision Media.

Guasconi, 62, previously served as head coach at Weehawken High School from 1998 to 2000 and was an assistant with the Bruins from 1983 to 1995.

He has also been the principal at Kennedy School for the last nine years and an employee of the school district since 1987. He will be taking the reigns at the program immediately.

“North Bergen football is truly one of New Jersey’s most storied and successful programs and I am incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to become Head Coach of the Bruins,” Guasconi said in a statement.

“I would like to thank the Board of Education for their faith in me and I look forward to the challenge of improving our program every day and continuing the incredible legacy of success built by Joe Coviello and Vincent Ascolese.”

Additionally, Guasconi was an assistant coach at Kean University in the early 2000s before being hired at St. Peter’s Prep in 2003, where he worked as a varsity assistant under Coach Richard Hansen for over 10 years and later coached the school’s freshman team for the past two seasons.

A West New York native, Guasconi has lived in North Bergen since 1982 and has three daughters who graduated from township schools and a son who recently began his first season in the North Bergen Pop Warner Football program.

“With experience coaching both here in Hudson County at the highest levels and in college, Michael Guasconi is an excellent choice to lead our Bruins and work with our student athletes to build an outstanding program,” Mayor Nick Sacco, also the said in the same statement.

“Coach Guasconi has strong roots in our community and knows exactly what kind of commitment it takes to excel here and be successful. I wish him the best of luck and am very proud to support the decision made by Superintendent Solter, Athletic Director Jerry Maietta and our Board of Education in offering him this position.”

Guasconi replaces Czar Wiley, whose first season as head coach was in 2012, who was also mentioned by his father during the trial of former North Bergen Department of Public Works Supervisors Troy Bunero and Francis Longo.

Hudson County View is an independent media outlet covering news and politics for Hudson County, NJ, and all of its municipalities. Owned and operated by John Heinis, an investigative reporter, Hudson County View focuses on covering elections, public policy, lawsuits, corruption and all other things related to government and politics in Hudson County.